Shifting Sands
by Sue-Drae
Summary: Book three in the Corrine Wyncrest universe. Back for her third year of Hogwarts, Cor is really living the life. With a tight knit group of friends, a successful in-school business, and a newly signed betrothal contract, there's nothing that could go wrong. Right? If only everything would remain that simple. Rating may change for language.
1. Getting Hitched (Sort of)

"Daddy, Naia and I are going to pick up Harry and Neville!" I called into the office. _**"I'll be back, Vittat."**_

" _ **Very well. Give the Nest-Lady my regards."**_ Assuming that Vittat was referring to Lady Regent Longbottom, I nodded my assent.

The first three weeks of the summer had been very quiet. Mama had taken Sebastian back to the States to resume his summer training so as to prepare him as much as possible for the rigors of Auror Training—which he was all but lined up for as he entered his last year at Hogwarts—and Damien had spent only a couple of days at home before returning to the Weasley's home for the summer. With just Daddy and I, the house in Wales had seemed far too big and we had decided to spend the summer in the house on Palace Street in London. Ordinarily that would have been great, but there was little I could do without the Corps at my side.

Mama hadn't taken the idea of a faux proposal extremely well, but she had taken it much better than I had expected. Her biggest argument was that she felt it wouldn't end well unless it ended in marriage. While the exact wording of a betrothal contract is generally confidential, if word got out that we entered the contract with full intentions of breaking it off later... It would be an insult to anyone who would have wanted to enter into a contract with either of our houses—case in point, the Malfoys. She understood the necessity of a faux betrothal, though, and she did agree to it.

Harry's emancipation hearing was held and, while it was a bit of a farce, he had been legally emancipated from Sirius Black's care. Harry had gone through most of the emancipation process with Professor McGonagall and she had set him on a good course. The only piece of paperwork she hadn't personally assisted Harry with was the agreement of fellowship, which he needed as he stands to inherit a lordship. Neville's grandmother had agreed to sign the agreement of fellowship, which took a weight off of my shoulders.

Harry spent most of the time since his emancipation with Neville and his grandmother. As per the agreement of fellowship, which traditionally ensure that he was properly trained in the ways of the magical upper class, he would live with them until at least his 17th birthday. It was Augusta Longbottom's duty as Lady of the house to ensure that Harry was prepared to claim his lordship when he was old enough and so he would receive tutoring alongside Neville, which would hopefully help them both. The agreement of fellowship was also a formal alliance, which bound the two houses together until it was broken or until Harry's 17th birthday.

Having Augusta Longbottom sign the agreement of fellowship would make my faux betrothal to Harry more believable as well. With Alice Longbottom as my godmother, that duty had automatically transferred to Augusta after the attack on the Aurors. With ties connecting Augusta to both Harry and I, it was a shorter leap that the two of us enter into a betrothal. The betrothal, with the Longbottom house so involved in Harry's early life politically, would strengthen the relationship between all three houses and firmly push the balance of power away from the Malfoys.

Hermione's family had gone off to France on holiday, leaving me with no company in London. Blaise was recently struggling to introduce himself to stepfather number three, whom he was also trying to warn away for the man's own safety. Neville and Daphne were both undergoing tutoring within their families to prepare them for the eventuality of their leading their respectives houses. Steph had duties at home to tend to relating to her family's import business. Luna and her father were out of the country trying to track down this or that fantastical creature. Ron and his family—and Damien with them—were out of the country, visiting the eldest brother in Egypt with money won in a lottery.

With little to do but work on the Corps-iculum, I did exactly that. Potions was the only course that I was doing the notes for without help from anyone else but, thanks to my proximity to Professor Snape while I was assisting him with the first years, I already had up to fourth year finished. With no set DADA professor, given Lockhart's sacking last year, I turned my attention to Transfiguration.

Being alone with my dad had its benefits, though. As we were so close to the Ministry, he'd brought me into work once or twice over the past month. From the hazy figures of the Unspeakables in those unnaturally forgettable corridors I learned more magic conditioning techniques to bring back to the Corps. All the while, my magical core was studied and quantified. With more information on my link being collected, there was more to compare to the few other recorded ley links the Unspeakables had data on.

My ley link was developing in a different way than what had been observed before. Most ley links were gradual, developing within the witch or wizard from birth. A slower growing ley link allowed the magical core to stretch and grow naturally to merely supplement the person's magic with natural magic. When the magic entered me, my core was too brittle and delicate to handle the influx, resulting in the violent loss of control I experienced. As a result of the nature magic hollowing out my core, the majority of the magic at my disposal was the much more dense and powerful natural magic. If I honed my control, my spells would be much stronger than a normal witch's, at least in theory.

The Unspeakables were also working on a way to lock my own magic so I didn't drain it accidentally. Given how other people react when their cores are severely depleted, I'd likely pass out before I use up all of my own energy but there was a measure of uncertainty that the Unspeakables didn't like. The fact that I was the daughter of one of their own didn't matter much; I had a feeling that they didn't want to lose such a valuable and willing test subject.

"Okay! I'll be at work by the time you come back, so I'll see you for dinner. Are we still on for pizza?" my dad called back to me from deeper in the house. I called back a confirmation before looking to Naia and holding out my hand. She gripped it tightly and we disappeared in a _crack_.

* * *

Augusta Longbottom's eyes were sharp and narrow as she examined the contract my father had drafted.

The three of us were seated in one of her studies. A tea tray sat on the table between us, untouched, as she read the document once, twice, and a third time before lowering it back to the table, her eyes shifting between Harry and me.

"And are you sure that this is what you desire?" she asked me directly. I smiled tightly but nodded my head.

"Even if it's not what I would originally have done, I have spoken to my parents and they agree that this is the best course of action. If I do not enter into a contract, Lord Malfoy shall continue to pressure my family. Once my connection to Slytherin and my ley link are exposed, he'll only be more interested. I refuse to ally the Wyncrest House to the Malfoys."

"Harry?" she said, turning to look at the boy.

"Cor and I have talked a lot about this. I missed a lot of our world and culture growing up at the Dursleys'. Having this arrangement with Cor ensures that I don't lose any more. She knows a lot more about my house than I do at this point and, if I'm entering into a betrothal, I'd rather it be with someone who I know won't abuse that."

"Why Potter?" She wasn't asking if I even liked Harry, which I respected. Lady Regent Longbottom was a very shrewd politician and a valuable ally. She merely wanted my reasoning, my logic. I gave it to her in its entirety.

"House Wyncrest was very neutral in the last war but, given recent events at Hogwarts, I see no sense in fence sitting. My friends and I have been personally attacked by what's left of You-Know-Who. I intend to declare my house as Light and a marriage into an already Light family would certainly help. Given my mother's relationship to the Lowe family and my own history with Neville, I didn't think he and I would make a good match. Harry and I have similar interests and abilities."

"Longbottom and Potter aren't the only two Light houses," Augusta reminded me.

"They aren't, but they're the only two major Light houses I have preexisting ties to. I know that I can coexist with your ideals. I don't know that for certain of other families."

Augusta was silent for a long minute, measuring us with her eyes and trying to detect subterfuge. Evidently coming up with nothing, she nodded her head.

"As fellow of House Potter, I will agree to sign this contract as witness," she decided. "Do you understand the consequences if this contract is breached?"

"Yes."

Broken faith was the phrase applied to oath breaking houses. By showing in the past that their word means little, houses of broken faith are generally and systematically pushed out by the other houses over time. There are ways to get around it, of course; breaking oaths mutually, repaying the opposing house for the broken faith in gold, or repaying the community in favors. Sometimes money wasn't always enough. The Malfoy family had come to Great Britain years ago after being renamed and cast out of France, where _mal foi_ literally means bad faith.

They were bloody awful Slytherins.

I had already spoken to Harry about the what-ifs and the implications of a betrothal contract and I wasn't too concerned. Our contract doesn't have a deadline of marriage, which would traditionally be the 17th or 18th birthday of the younger partner, so we were leaving plenty of time for one of us to find someone or something else. Then we can quietly dissolve the contract. Betrothal contracts are held in high regard, but they are formalities. It's an oath that, one day, the two of us will marry. Most people don't care about the in-between.

"Very well." Augusta drew her wand and tapped it on the second witness line, just under my father's name. Her name and title bloomed across the line, as well as the date, and she passed the document back to me. "With this contract, we shall have to review the formal agreement between our houses. Please ensure that your mother contacts me so that we can discuss the implications."

"I will."

"Good. Corinne, I expect that Neville and Harry will both be returned to the manor prior to the start of term."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then you three may leave. Give your father my regards."

"Yes, ma'am. Good day." I curtsied as I'd been trained, deep and careful, before grasping the betrothal contract and walking out of the room with Harry in tow.

Harry and I were officially betrothed. Now the fun starts.


	2. Fiance Training

Even though Harry and Neville had joined me, there wasn't much we could do in terms of practical magic without the rest of the Corps. Instead of devoting time to the Corps-iculum, Neville and I turned our attention to Harry. Now that we were betrothed, Harry and I were politically linked. He could afford ignorance in wizarding culture for the past two years but, now, he'd have to learn about the world we lived in.

"So there are only twenty-eight pureblood families?" Harry asked with a frown. I shook my head.

"The twenty-eight aren't the only recognized purebloods. My family isn't on the list, neither is Luna's. The twenty-eight are supposedly the houses with the least relationships to Muggles. The list itself is some political nonsense. The Weasleys are on the list and I'm sure you know about them."

"What do I know about them?" Harry asked heatedly. I backtracked ever so slightly.

"Arthur Weasley, Ron's father, has a very keen interest in Muggles and their technology. Weasleys have historically hated their placement on the list and have been declared blood traitors in some circles. Blood traitors in that they deny their pureblooded heritage and associate with Muggles and Muggleborns."

"That's rubbish!" Harry growled. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course it is. But it's still very important to some people and those are the people you can't afford to see you looking a fool."

* * *

"No, you have to keep your back totally straight like _this_." Watching Neville teaching Harry how to bow was entertaining but I didn't dare laugh. It would be my turn to teach Harry to dance soon and I couldn't give Neville the pleasure of laughing then.

"Just be glad you don't have to curtsy. It took me years to be able to do it properly without hurting myself. Since you're emancipated, most people will recognize you as the Lord Potter so you shouldn't need to bow very deeply to most people. I'll make a list of names and faces that you'll have to remember to respect, though."

"Don't forget the board of governors," Neville chimed.

"I won't. With the Corps operating primarily out of Hogwarts, I can't afford miscommunications with the governors. I won't be getting a vote for anything out of Lucius Malfoy but I'll have a decent chance with the others. I'm still too young for them to put much thought into anything a group of schoolchildren does, but they do know my name."

"Daphne's dad is on the board, right?" Harry asked. I nodded.

"Lord Robert Greengrass. An intelligent man but not a leader. He and his daughter have much in common and he holds her in high regard. The Greengrass house has fallen out of favor due to some bad sidings in the past two wars but they are good allies to have. They are as steadfast as any Slytherins can be."

"How did they fall out of favor?"

"I've told you about the war with Gellert Grindelwald. The war didn't really strike here, but it was very volatile on the continent. It was fashionable to send aid in the form of supplies but the Greengrasses took it further. They sent a number of their family members as soldiers to fight in the war and, when many of them did not return home, the other old families saw their death as a meaningless waste of pureblood. Later, in the war against Voldemort, they were obstinately neutral. Even with other houses neutral, many were secretly one way or another. By not supporting either side directly or indirectly, they were discredited by both sides. The Light houses believed the Greengrasses had something to hide. The Dark houses were angry they hadn't been supported. If the current degradation of the name continues, Daphne's husband or son could be the last formal Lord Greengrass."

"Is that a high probability?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. I smiled, shaking my head.

"The Greengrass name will be bound to the Wyncrest, Potter, and Longbottom names. They'll likely be declared as a Light family, but they will continue to be honored as a house."

"Is being a Light family bad?"

"Light and Dark are misnomers," I said with a frown. Neville took over for me, pitying me.

"At their core, Dark houses merely to seek to preserve wizarding culture in all its forms. Wyncrest is a neutral house but, if I had to decide right now, I would call them Dark. They still celebrate the old holidays, they maintain their tradition of matriarchy, they believe in the early education of their children, and they haven't directly dealt with Muggles since the statute of secrecy came into effect."

"Not that you know of, anyway," I said cheekily. Neville rolled his eyes.

"The terminology isn't as effective since the last war. Dark houses were demonized because Voldemort twisted Dark theory into something much worse. Instead of simply preserving culture, he moved to destroy anything that threatened to change our ways. Now Dark tends to mean evil with Death Eater ties while Light means the house can do no wrong. It's blind and it's foolish to think anything is so cleanly cut but house politics are sensitive and difficult to interpret."

"And House Potter..."

"Was neutral. It was actually a sort of bridge between Light and Dark families for a long time, very popular for betrothal contracts since your ancestors were noted to be easy to get along with. It shifted to Light during the last war because of your parents' actions against Lord Voldemort but it's up to you to reaffirm or denounce their choices. I would recommend remaining as a Light house. We can change the definitions of Light and Dark with time but we all need be seen in a positive light by the majority. Right now, it just isn't fashionable to be Dark," I concluded.

Daddy spent most of his time working while we were at this house but, whenever he had the time and the inclination, he poked his head in to see what we were doing. He wasn't worried that Harry and I were getting up to trouble- he knew as well as the rest of us that this betrothal was strictly political- but he had found a great joy in teasing Harry about it. I was guessing this was the only justice he would get after being put through the same torment and education after he and Mama got engaged.

* * *

Time passed and soon it was time for us to part again. Augusta had asked for Neville and Harry be returned to her before term and I wasn't going to disobey her. Harry and Neville were taken back to the Longbottom estate by Naia after our Hogwarts letters had come through and I was able to return my attention to my other projects.

The Corps-iculum was going as well as I could have hoped. We needed to backtrack on DADA since the school was forced to acquire a new professor but, from what I'd read of the syllabus mailed to us from Daphne, Professor Lupin was going to be a much more competent professor than Quirrel or Lockhart.

My ley link had been progressing as normal. It seemed that my core allowed for an additional eighth of capacity annually at the Yule. My core would be larger than it should for most of my Hogwarts years but, as I reached adulthood, it should taper off into a normal range. I simply had more expansive growth at a younger age.

Vittat was proving to be a very good companion. After a few letters between Professors McGonagall and Snape, I was allowed to bring him to Hogwarts as my familiar despite the restrictions on which animals were allowed. That may not have been the case if Vittat had been a venomous snake but, as it was, I was content. It was be good to keep up on my parseltongue while at Hogwarts even if Pieridae, the massive basilisk of the Chamber of Secrets, was long dead.

For now, I needed to make immediate plans. The Corps now contained three Slytherins, four Gryffindors, a Ravenclaw, and a Hufflepuff. I would need to increase expansion into Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to ensure fair inter-house relations within the Corps. While everyone in the Corps was loyal to me over their house, they were still sorted for a reason. Arguments would naturally arise and I needed a fair mix to be able to benefit and grow from those arguments. If Professor Snape allowed me to interfere with the first years as I did last year, that would be one avenue to gain recruits but first years wouldn't give me the reach or connections I needed.

What I really needed was a dueling club. Thanks to Lockhart's incompetence, the dueling club from last year had failed miserably. This year, we would have to try making it a student-based organization. Harry, as we discussed in the last year, would be the public face and leader of this club but I was more likely than not going to entrust Hermione to run it from behind the scenes. This would be a good test of Harry's administrative capabilities but I knew Hermione would be able to cover where Harry's talents were lacking.

The Slytherin team would likely go through a short overhaul. Flint had graduated and Sebastian was the new captain. Even if we kept all of the other players from the previous years, we were still down a chaser that would need filling. I needed to make sure I was on that team, no matter what. If Draco persisted in being seeker, I was sure I could train myself into chasing. It would be hard but I needed Slytherin's full support, a feat that was significantly easier if I was beating Gryffindor into the ground on the pitch.

That Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban was mildly concerning but I wasn't truly worried about it. Harry knew better than to go looking for him and, as the majority of the wizarding world believed Black had escaped in order to find and kill Harry, he was playing along. I was interested to know how he had escaped, though. It was something on my to-fix list that I had mentally drafted- things that were in dire need of my attention as soon as I became the Minister of Magic- but it also might have been on my to-learn list. Given last year's suspicions towards me and my luck, I just might need a way to break out of Azkaban.

 _Plans_ , I reminded myself chidingly.

 _Inter-house dueling club_. All clubs and activities need to be approved of by a teacher-sponsor and the board of governors. Professor Snape would likely be willing to sign off on the club but the board of governors would be a little trickier. Most of the board was either being paid by or afraid of Lucius Malfoy so if he didn't approve of my idea no one would. The only way to get Lucius to agree with me is if he's feeling pressure from his son. Lord Malfoy might be a git, but he was a reasonably attentive parent from what I knew. That or he just hated hearing Draco whine. Either way, if I offer Draco a place in the club, the club would get passed.

That created an issue of its own- how Draco would react once he was in the club- but I'd have to cross that bridge when I reach it. I'd also have to figure out how to make Draco interested in any of my ideas. He believed in solidarity outside of the common room but, the second we were in the common room, I was a potential threat to him. My plans couldn't afford for me to defer to him in anything. He would have to change to suit me. With my betrothal contract, he was the weaker political party. He would feel pressure from his parents- at least his mother- to agree to my terms lest he force the Malfoy name out of society.

 _Slytherin Quidditch team_. I wasn't worried about this. Bass is the captain. He'll get me on the team unless he has no other options. Draco's father couldn't pull the Nimbus 2001s after a year of use so Draco wasn't necessary on the team. I had a feeling Bass would try to beat the kid into being a chaser. That would appease the Lord Malfoy and get Draco off of my back for the seeking position.

Loose plans dancing in my mind, I returned my attention to the task immediately ahead of me- gathering our Hogwarts supplies.


	3. Diagon and Dementors

Using our mirrors, it wasn't hard to establish a day for most of the Corps to get together to gather our school supplies. It was impossible to get everyone—Ron would be coming back to England just a few days before the start of term and Blaise was still locked down with his new step-father, who seemed intent on getting to know his new son—but everyone else managed to show. With so many of us, it was a little complicated to get all of our things—though the clerk at Flourish and Blotts had breathed a sigh of relief when only Neville wanted a copy of the Monster Book of Monsters. At the same time, despite all of the chaos, it was nice to be able to be with everyone without having any active schemes going on. For once, we were just a bunch of friends spending time together—no enemy to fight and no house politics to navigate.

It would have been perfect if not for a rather unwelcome visit.

"Ah, Harry, my boy!" I looked up from where several of us had been staring at the new Firebolt racing broom. Hermione, Luna, and Daphne were still in Flourish and Blotts looking at different books, so Harry, Neville, Steph, and I had gone out into the Alley to wait for them. Waiting outside apparently had some risk to it, I observed as the Minister of Magic slipped through the crowd to approach us. He shook Harry's hand quite firmly, casting appraising eyes to his companions. His bowler hat tipped forward and Fudge quickly corrected the slip, adjusting the hat so it stayed straight over his ears. "Fancy meeting you here! And these must be your friends, correct?"

"Yes, sir. Minister, this is Neville Longbottom, Stephanie Leighan, and Corrine Wyncrest," Harry introduced, sending Neville an uncertain gaze. "The rest of our group is still inside Flourish and Blotts."

"Yes, of course. I must admit, Harry, that I'm very surprised at you. I'm sure you're aware of… well, recent events. I'm sure you can understand why I'm curious that you don't seem to have an adult present," Fudge said as delicately as possible, finishing with a smile.

"Lady Longbottom has been keeping me informed," Harry assured him slowly. "Given Black's last known location and the size of our group, we decided that it was worth the risk. I'm not going to hide from anyone. Besides, I doubt I'll be attacked in the middle of the Alley, surrounded by people."

"Quite right, quite right… Well, this was a pleasant surprise, but I'm afraid I must return to work." Fudge winked as if he and Harry had a great joke going about the Ministry and, with a tip of his hat, strode back the way he had come.

"That was…" Harry started.

"Weird," Steph finished.

"He seemed a bit… flustered, didn't he?" Neville asked with a frown. I nodded.

"I bet he's facing all sorts of political pressure after the breakout. After all, if one prisoner got out, what's stopping all of the other lunatics locked away in Azkaban?" There was a brief moment of tense silence before the rest of our group joined us and we were all dragged off to the magical menagerie by Hermione, who insisting on at least looking for a familiar.

With Neville's toad, my snake, Harry's owl, and Hermione's new beast of a cat, the Corps was growing a menagerie of its own.

September 1st rolled around quickly. I wasted no time standing in awe of the Hogwarts Express this year, instead preferring to quickly board the train after a quick goodbye and promise to write to my parents. The Corps could dilly-dally but I needed to ensure we could get a private compartment. Because of the earliness of my arrival, I was free to pick any one that I liked and I picked one at the back of the train. As everyone else said their goodbyes, I was reorganizing the folders of files we had of the Corps-iculum. The Corps needed to be able to be in gear by the time we got to Hogwarts, but that would only take a few minutes. This train ride was for us.

The Corps was joined by two pseudo-outsiders on this ride. Daphne's sister—a tiny girl named Astoria—was starting Hogwarts this year. She sat next to her sister, her eyes keen as she surveyed us all. Like her sister, this girl was destined for Slytherin as she picked her way into conversations that she was able to dominate. Ron's sister was with us as well, seated between Blaise and Harry and laughing about Quidditch.

A steady stream of conversation kept us from getting bored and we talked about everything from Hermione's and Ron's travels abroad to Steph's work with her father's business. I outlined our immediate needs and Ron got everyone excited for Honeydukes. The younger girls were disappointed that they couldn't go but we all promised to bring sweets back for them after the first sanctioned trip out. Even Vittat spent his time hissing at Crookshanks, Hermione's new cat, through the bars of the cat's cage. The only creature less than happy with his surroundings with Ron's rat, who had been attacked by Crookshanks as soon as the cat had laid eyes on the rat. Vittat had been oddly silent about the rat, leering at it until Ron had stuff it into his pocket.

Everything was great until the train slowed and came to a jolting stop. Just as we were collecting our composure, the lights went out and I scowled. This wasn't planned.

"Lumos maxima," I murmured, holding my wand aloft. The tip of my wand lit up and illuminated the faces of my friends. Hermione was frowning.

"We can't be there yet. It's too soon." Harry, who was sitting near the door, looked into the corridor before reporting that no one seemed to have a clue. He hadn't been the only one looking for answers. I rubbed my sleeve against the foggy window and looked out, holding my wand away so as to reduce the glare.

"That's weird... I think someone's getting on board," I muttered. A few short minutes passed before something changed. The air grew cold and oppressive and I straightened, alert and defensive. Vittat started hissing violently and I translated. "Something is here. A... darkness is on board. Darkness?"

"Darkness, Colestah. It takes and it devours, but does not give. It is a darkness, the darkest and foulest of things," he insisted, writhing in discomfort. "It is searching, searching. It is hunting."

The door, which Harry had closed before taking his seat, clicked open and slowly opened. Vittat's hissing grew fearful and I knew exactly why. A dark cloaked figure towered in the doorway, with one dead hand extended to the door latch. The creature drew its hand back and I assumed it peered over us all. I couldn't see anything but black under its hood.

A terrible shudder filled me and my vision swam.

Waking up in the hospital after that Yule... Damien telling me I wasn't his sister... thinking I'd killed my father... visiting Alice Longbottom with Mama, watching her sob over her friend...

I was breathing heavily and shaking even more violently but Harry, who was closest to the darkness, collapse to the floor.

"Sirius Black is not on this train. Expecto patronum!" an unfamiliar voice in the corridor shouted. A silvery light appeared at the creature's left and it fled. As it left, it took some of its cold and dark with it but some of the darkness was already in me, swirling and rushing against the confines of my mind, trying to break free and consume me too. I closed my eyes and remembered what Daddy had taught me about occlumency. Focus. Breathe. In and out.

I was recovered from the spell faster than my companions and I knelt on the floor, trying to check on Harry. I was distantly aware of Astoria crying in Daphne's arms and both Ginny and Neville were so very pale. If they had remembered things like I did, it wasn't surprising in the least.

"Harry," I murmured, placing a hand on his forehead. He was sweating but he felt freezing to my hand. Just as Harry started to shift in my arms, a shadow fell over me and I froze, glancing up. A man had appeared in the doorway—a normal, human man—and I sighed in relief.

"Did it attempt to kiss him?" the man asked quickly, kneeling next to Harry as well. I was a little slow on the uptake but the pieces snapped together after another moment. Kissed. Darkness. Cold. It was a dementor!

"I don't think so. He... He was the closest one to it, but I think he's just fainted," I said as steadily as I could. Harry finally opened his eyes and I forced myself to relax.

"Cor?" he asked vaguely, trying to recognize me with the light behind me. I nodded, smiling wryly.

"Yeah, it's me. Quit scaring me like that."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, looking very sick.

The man broke something in his hands and, when I looked up, he was holding a piece of chocolate out to me.

"Eat. It'll help," he advised. I took the piece and he broke off a much larger chunk, handing it to Harry. He glanced back at me, as if he was feeling my eyes on him. "I'm Professor Lupin. I'm to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year."

"Cor Wyncrest," I introduced as he passed out chocolate to the rest of the group. "You told the dementor that Black wasn't on the train. Is that what it was here for? To look for him?"

"Yes. I imagine Dumbledore will be furious..." Finished dividing up the chocolate, Lupin placed the empty wrapper in his pocket and dusted off his shabby robes. "You all eat. It helps. I'm going to talk to the driver."

"What happened?" Harry asked, wiping his forehead off with his sleeve. I frowned.

"Dementors are the guards of the wizarding prison Azkaban," I started. "Vittat was right to call them a darkness. They feed off of happy emotions and memories, leaving a person with nothing but bad. The worse the memories you have left, the worse the reaction."

"Who screamed?" Harry asked, glancing towards where Astoria was still crying. I frowned but, after a while, my frown dissipated as I repeated what I had said in my head. The worse the memories you have left...

"No one screamed," Ron said a little nervously. I put my hand in Harry's and pulled him back to his seat.

"It was horrible," Neville murmured, his voice higher than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"

"I felt like I'd never be cheerful again... Ginny was shaking like mad."

"Harry..." I started gently. "No one here screamed. You were closest to it, so it had the greatest effect on you. It took the worst memory you have and brought it back."

Harry's brow was furrowed for a moment before he gasped, looking repulsed.

"I- I..." His voice drifted off and I nodded slowly.

The train was mostly silent until we pulled into Hogsmeade station and, even though I'd eaten the chocolate, I didn't feel a lot better. Knowing Harry, he was going to take this worse even if it was already over. He'd think he was weak for being so vulnerable. For Merlin's sake, he'd already been forced to listen to his mother dying! Why was this so unfair to him?

The trip to the castle in the thestral-drawn carriages was long and painful. There were too many of us to take one so we had split up into three: Daphne, Blaise, and I went first, followed by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville in the next with Steph, Luna, and Ginny following in a third after.

Getting out first, I immediately noticed Malfoy prowling around. Knowing he couldn't be there for any good reason, I stalked over to him.

"What are you looking for, Draco?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. Draco smirked at me but his eyes were telling a slightly different story.

"I believe I'm looking for your betrothed. Father did tell me the news after all. Quite a pitiful excuse for a contract if you ask me. I doubt Potter can even provide any connections of value. He certainly isn't one himself; fainting after so much as looking at a dementor," he scoffed. I crossed my arms.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't ask you, funnily enough. And I believe Harry to have been a better option than anyone else in this school," I said indelicately. "He's far better than anyone in my house, at least."

Draco reddened angrily but, before he could order Crabbe and Goyle to do anything, Blaise and Daphne had appeared. The Gryffindors wouldn't be too far behind either. Draco scowled and turned on his heel.

"Let's go," he commanded, and the three of them vanished into the castle. Daphne tutted as he left.

"And to think I would have recommended a betrothal contract to that git a year ago," she said without a flinch. "What a sheltered brat. I'm sure I could find out what his reaction had been when the dementor passed by his carriage if you like."

"It's not worth it. We already know he's spineless when it comes to an actual confrontation," I reminded her. When the rest of the Corps had joined us, we stepped into the entrance hall. We had started to move forward when a familiar voice called out.

"Miss Wyncrest!" I was surprised to see Professor Snape peering over the crowd of students for me. I met his eyes and nodded.

"I'll meet you guys in there."

"Granger!" Professor McGonagall called for Hermione and, though she seemed surprised, she followed behind me as I started moving away from the Great Hall. We weren't to stay together long, though, as Professor McGonagall led Hermione up the stairs and Professor Snape led me into the dungeons towards his office. He was silent until we were in the privacy of his office, at which point he turned to me, grabbing a sheet of paper from his desk.

"The schedules for the students have already been established based on our previous system. If you would like to continue with the current first and second years, you would be required to make use of a time turner in order to keep up with the course load you have selected for yourself." He passed me a schedule and I glanced at it. On top of the core curriculum courses, I had chosen to take Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes. With two first year classes and two second year classes, my schedule was impossible to juggle. I could give up working with a younger grade to free up my time but, to be honest, those periods didn't really take up any time outside of the potions classroom. My schedule would have thirteen classes listed but, in actuality, I would only feel the brunt of the seven core classes and my two electives. Even then, most of the theoretical work for this year had been done in advanced thanks to the efforts of the Corps-iculum.

"I'd prefer to keep everything on my schedule as it is. Do I have to petition the Ministry for a time turner?" I asked, dreading the upcoming yes. That was a process that could take a few weeks, even if my father streamlined the process from his position in the Department of Mysteries. Professor Snape quirked a small smile, however, and that gave me hope.

"I had a feeling that you would prefer to keep all. As a result..." The Potions Master reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out an envelope the side of my open hand, holding it out to me. I opened it at his nod and, pouring its contents into my hand, a golden necklace fell into my palm. The time turner was beautiful

"Thank you, professor," I said with an earnest smile.

"Thank me by not abusing it. There are limitations to even this. Do not attempt to exceed five hours of travel and do not allow anyone to see you in two places. Especially do not let you see yourself. Awful things have happened to wizards who meddle with time," the professor cautioned seriously and I nodded. Seemingly content that I wasn't going to get up to much mischief, I was dismissed to go to the welcoming feast.

I was smirking the whole way back. He hadn't said anything about not telling anyone and, while I wasn't planning on it, I wasn't foolish enough to think I'd be able to keep my schedule away from Daphne for long.


	4. Little Victories

Thanks to the meeting in the Potions dungeon, both Professor Snape and I missed the Sorting. That was alright by me—I'd have the chance to study all of the firsties in their Potions classes.

"What was that about?" Daphne murmured as I slid into my place next to her. I didn't answer her at first, smiling and nodding at the Quidditch team from last year and my other allies within the house. It wouldn't do for them to think I'd forgotten them.

"He wanted to talk to me about my schedule. I'll tell you later," I murmured back quietly before turning to Blaise and greeting him with a sly grin. "How's the step-dad?"

Blaise groaned and Daphne laughed.

"Welcome!" Dumbledore announced before Blaise could answer. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…

"As you all will be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. There are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even invisibility cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors."

There was a somber silence as Dumbledore looked around the hall seriously.

"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

Dumbledore went on to announce the hiring of Professor Lupin—at which there was some scattered applause—and the promotion of Hagrid to the Care of Magical Creatures professorship—which was much better received. The Corps had already known about the changes—all professors had to submit curricula to the Board of Governors—but it was still heartwarming in a sense to see Hagrid begin to tear up from the riotous applause from Gryffindor.

The feast was delicious, but that was where my evening stopped being entirely pleasant. We had scarcely been back in the common room for five minutes when a crowd began to mill around the Malfoy scion.

Draco didn't wait for long to start retelling a highly exaggerated version of what happened on the train. After a few minutes of listening to his drivel, I gestured for Daphne and Blaise to stay to the side—this was my fight and it wouldn't be nearly as fun if I needed back up—and I cleared my throat. It took a moment, but silence spread among the group of students surrounding Draco. I took a step closer to the root of the issue, crossing my arms contemptuously. I could afford to push Draco away harder now that I was betrothed to Harry.

"Have you already forgotten what we spoke about last year, Draco?" I asked in an even voice, raising an eyebrow. "You shame our house with your pettiness… Anyone who's researched dementors can tell you that they rip everything happy away from you and leave you with only the worse you've live through. Are you trying to tell me that you'd be on your feet after reliving the memory of watching your parents die? Hearing your mother scream for mercy before she's murdered?"

I was laying it on thick, but it was fun to watch Draco squirm. His lip curled with anger yet he remained silent. His face was more pale than usual and, as I watched, he shifted his weight— _weakness_. His eyes darted out to the Slytherin students who had just been enjoying his rendition of Potter and the Dementor, but no help arrived for him.

"I didn't think so. If I ever hear you talking about this again, or attempting to use this against him, I will make sure you have some _very_ bad memories for the next time you see a dementor," I threatened. Glancing at the rest of the Slytherins who had been listening to Draco, I narrowed my eyes. "And the rest of you… Slytherins are supposed to be clever and ambitious. We are _not_ supposed to be bullies, but that is the reason why we've needed a united front—because we've brought this bad reputation onto ourselves. None of us benefit from being seen as just the bad guys' kids. I aim to change that, and I would highly recommend not interfering with my goals."

"Is there a problem here?" Sebastian took a step towards the group and I resisted the urge to scowl. I could protect myself. He made me look weak by coming to my aid like this.

"Of course not, Bass. Right, Draco?" I asked sweetly. He clenched his jaw before nodding. As the ground dispersed, I returned to Daphne and Blaise. Blaise had a grin on his face like he'd enjoyed the show, but Daphne bore a worried frown. "What is it?"

"I just have this weird feeling that we're going to regret that," she murmured, glancing between Draco and me. I shrugged, putting it out of my mind. Our first Corps meeting was supposed to be Friday after lunch, when we all had a free period. We all had work to do before then—I had stacks of paperwork waiting for approval to finalize our dueling club creation and everyone was working numbers for the Corps-iculum notes—but we would be off to a strong and productive start. I wasn't going to let a weird feeling interrupt that.

* * *

"Blaise, you're up," I murmured to my friend as Draco and his two guards entered the common room. I needed to speak to Draco, but I didn't need Crabbe or Goyle interrupting my little meeting. This needed to be just between the two of us—Blaise would stay with Crabbe and Goyle and Daphne was already talking to the first years about Corps-iculum notes.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered back, getting to his feet and wandering over to the approaching trio. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it must have contained words with more than two syllables judging by the blank look on Crabbe and Goyle's faces. Eventually, Draco sneered and brushed past Blaise. He made a beeline towards me and I moved over on the couch, leaving just enough room for Draco to sit next to me.

"I'm not some servant you can command, Wyncrest," Draco growled as he stood over me. I leaned back into the couch so I didn't have to tilt my head back to look at him. _And yet, here you are._

"I didn't ask you to talk for my own sake, Draco. This is for you. I'd like to talk Quidditch."

"What about it?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes. I glanced towards where Bass was talking to the other seventh year prefect.

"There's no way I'm not making the team. You can complain to Daddy all you want, but I'm a better seeker than you and my brother is the captain this year. However, I remember your tryout from last year. You were a decent chaser, and that's the spot that opened up. It would only be my word to Bass that keeps you on the team at all, so I propose a truce of sorts."

"A truce where you get everything you want and I don't? Not likely," he snorted bitterly. I shook my head indulgingly.

"You and I want similar things, Draco. We both want to be on the Quidditch team, we both want Slytherin to be known and respected, and we both want the others to recognize us for what we are: spectacular. The only difference is that I've been much luckier than you. I can help you, though, if you let me."

"And if I considered this _truce_ … what would it entail for me?" Draco asked cautiously.

"The world is changing, Draco. I have allied Wyncrest house with several predominant houses over the past two years. The power has shifted from you to me and, if you're able to accept that with some dignity, I'll forget our past. I won't ask you to do anything unfitting of a Lord, because that is what you will be once you take the title from your father. You have to remember, though, that I am a Lady and my friends are lords and ladies."

"The Malfoy name—"

"Will die with you if you're not careful," I interrupted. "Your family has wealth, but you haven't done anything to make your name worth more than that. If your money is gone, will anyone care about your name?"

I gave Draco a moment to think and, to my surprise, he actually did seem to think about it. Before he could speak, though, I continued.

"You'll be given the chaser spot on the team, so long as no one wildly better tries out. In addition, the Corps is starting an inter-house dueling club. I'm prepared to offer you a position in the club, so long as you start behaving like a true Slytherin. No bullying, no griping when you don't get what you like. I am giving you an opportunity. I won't make you take it, and I will take it away if you abuse my good faith."

"What do you get?" Draco asked warily. "From all of this, what do you get from me?"

"I want Slytherin to be more than just the bad guys and the kids of the bad guys. You making first years cry and bullying the famous Harry Potter doesn't help me."

"Ah yes, the famous Potter. Always comes back to him… He's not even special."

"You might be surprised, Draco…" I smiled at the boy and, to my relief, he didn't scowl or grimace. He sighed, glancing to where Blaise was standing with Crabbe and Goyle, but didn't say a word.

Little victories.


End file.
